Findings
by No.311
Summary: Formerly Arthur's Findings. What would Arthur think if he found out Merlin was a sorcerer? Or Gwaine? Find out! My take on a revelation fic, one POV per revelation. First Arthur, second Gwaine! Slightly AU (Arthur and Gwaine survived), no slash, now a two-shot.
1. Arthur's Findings

**No.311 here with a plot rabbit! If you're all nice to it you can pet it! I know, I know, I should update my story, sorry that I didn't, but I just can't concentrate! I have another half-finished oneshot, a barely started chapter and two other stories I should do. And I will! But for now, I present you: Arthur's Findings! AU, by the way: Mordred failed to slash Arthur with the enchanted sword. Arthur survived, Merlin didn't reveal his magic, and the battle at Camlann is won. Gwaine survived too. Now they're back in Camelot. Also thanks to my proofreader: DreamweaverAki!**

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**Part One: Morning**

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He had seen it. He just couldn't believe it. Maybe that was the reason the king got out of his bed before sunrise for once, to spy. Because he couldn't, wouldn't believe what he saw. Because if he did, well then he didn't know what to do. He just hoped it wasn't true. He stood behind the door, listening to breakfast being eaten. After five minutes it still wasn't finished. Arthur was getting impatient. He should just go and ask him. But part of him held him back. Because if the answer was yes, then there was trouble. But somewhere within him, he knew that the answer _was_ yes. But that would mean…

In all his days as a king, none had been so hard for him as yesterday.

The day he saw Merlin use magic.

He knew it was true, but he desperately clamped himself at the hope that it wasn't. So he decided to spy on Merlin, and reinforce his statement that it was impossible for Merlin to be a sorcerer. _That_ was why he, the King of Camelot, was now standing behind the door of Gaius' and Merlin's quarters, like some petty stalker. Him. The king. Listening to someone eating breakfast while even he himself hadn't had any yet. And he was quite hungry. Having some meat, pork perhaps, with a small side salad would probably do for today. He already looked forward to eating it. One of the perks of being king was that you always got nice, dinner and breakfast. Talking about breakfast… The sounds had stopped. Arthur leaned in on the door, proceeding to lay his ear against it, when the door was violently pushed open, smacking his face. Now Arthur was a man among men, but this hurt. He started massaging his face.

"Arthur, what are you doing here?"

"I was going to get _you_, you lazy idiot!"

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Yes, Merlin, my stomach started growling! Get me some breakfast!"

Normally Arthur wasn't this irritable, but it is really hard not to be when you get a door smashed into your face. Merlin had just gone away when Arthur already regretted being so harsh. Wait, Merlin… had just gone… away… Damn! If he wanted to spy on Merlin he would have to go after him! Arthur ran after him with dignity, or at least tried to. After a few moments he found Merlin again when he turned around the corner. He was talking to a serving girl that he thought was called Missi. But he wasn't sure. Arthur smirked. If this situation hadn't been at hand, he could have teased Merlin with having a lover. He watched Merlin end the talk with a polite goodbye and heading into the door, the kitchen, he knew. He crept to the door and carefully opened it a little. Through the gap he could see Merlin picking his breakfast joyously. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see Gwaine, smiling at him.

"Hey, Princess, I was just going to eat something, but you're blocking the door while peeking. You're the king, why don't you go inside?"

"Shush! Because I'm… inspecting the staff. Yes, inspecting the staff." Arthur whispered.

"That's new. Who're you inspecting then?" whispered Gwaine.

"…Merlin."

Gwaine looked at him with a smiling look, which Arthur didn't like at all.

"I'm in!" shout-whispered Gwaine. Arthur groaned. This was not a good moment, but he decided to let it be for now. He looked through the gap and saw Merlin rapidly coming to the door.

"Gwaine, behind that corner, now!" he shout whispered while pointing to the corner he knew would not lead to his chambers. He himself hurried there as fast as he could, but Gwaine stayed behind. "What are you doing?" he mouthed, but Gwaine only gave him a thumbs-up in return.

Merlin walked out of the kitchen while whistling a tune that sounded an awful lot like one of the nursery rhymes Arthur remembered. Gwaine greeted him and got in a heated discussion with him about his work in and around the castle, while making some jokes in between. Arthur gritted his teeth. Most of the jokes were about him. Arthur followed them while they walked in the direction of his chambers. He listened to what they were talking about, and got some new insights about how Merlin would want to have some more sleep and maybe a little bit less chores and such. Arthur might reconsider that… Nah, it was way too much fun for him to tease him with it. Eventually, they arrived at his chambers, and Gwaine and Merlin went their separate ways. Gwaine's way, was unfortunately in his direction. Gwaine was a good friend, but sometimes he was a bit annoying, and Arthur doubted that Gwaine could help him with this. But luckily for Arthur, Gwaine only stopped shortly to tell Arthur what he had learned. Arthur thanked him and told him the inspection was finished and that Merlin passed. Gwaine smiled at that.

"Just you wait until your inspection, Gwaine...". Arthur smiled evilly at Gwaine.

Gwaine looked almost scared and quickly went to practice. Arthur laughed at him quietly.

Then Arthur walked in his chambers with a regal air.

"Breakfast ready?"

"Yes, sir!" Merlin mock-saluted at him and pointed to the table. Arthur sat down and started eating. But what if Merlin really was a sorcerer? Would he have to hang him, or chop his head off, or would he make an exception?_ Could_ he hang him, and _could_ he make an exception? He didn't know if he was able to hang his best friend/manservant who had been loyally next to him all these years. But if he didn't, it wouldn't be fair to those who did get punished for practicing magic. And then he would have to get rid of…

"Are you ill or something?"

Arthur thoughts snapped back to the present. "No?"

"You're a lot less a prat than you normally are."

"Are you worried?" He asked his manservant, with just a tone of curiosity, wanting to know how he would react.

"No, but if you were ill I would be a lot less busy today." Merlin teased

Arthur stayed quiet. Of course Merlin would tease him. It was how things went between them. Or was it just an act. Was he just an evil wizard patiently waiting…

"What? No '_Mer_lin'?" If Arthur didn't know Merlin better, he could have thought that he was honestly surprised. But he knew Merlin better.

"_Mer_lin!"

Merlin chuckled. Arthur chuckled evilly. Merlin gave Arthur a confusing look.

"Did you forget? Today, we have a hunting trip planned."

Merlin groaned, and Arthur smirked. It would be an excellent opportunity too, to spy on Merlin.

After some time, Arthur finished his breakfast and stood up.

"Ready the horses, Merlin. We will depart in half an hour."

It was clearly visible that Merlin didn't want to go on the hunting trip when he exited the room, but today was the yearly Grand Hunt. It was the one day that every lord would go hunting. Arthur was guaranteed to meet some of the nearby living lords, and hunt with them.. Arthur was looking forward to that. But first... He opened the door silently and followed Merlin from a distance. Hopefully Merlin was just going to the stables. But after a while Merlin suddenly turned his gaze southwards. He turned around and went towards the South Wing. And Arthur, knowing his castle, knew that the stables weren't in that direction. But it was ok, Arthur thought desperately, maybe Merlin just forgot something. But Arthur knew that there was no reason for Merlin to be in the south wing at all. Still, he followed Merlin closely, but made sure that he wasn't spotted. Merlin took a few stairs and turns, and came at a secret pathway Arthur was sure Merlin shouldn't have known. The pathway came out just outside the castle wall, but a locked door was at the end. Arthur felt tension rise in his throat. No... But Merlin uttered a few words and the door sprang open, lock or not. For Arthur, time stopped. Merlin _did_ have magic. He had seen it twice, he couldn't deny it any longer. And this made matters complicated. How had this escaped him so long? And why had Merlin not tried to kill Arthur as of yet. Merlin was a sorcerer, so he had to be evil! But maybe, just maybe he was wrong. Maybe this sorcerer was Merlin, so he was safe... And the law. Before he had just thought of the possibilities, but now he really was in this mess. Arthur decided to just keep following Merlin for now. Maybe he could find out the sorcerer's motives... He caught the door before it closed, and went through it.

" I, the great Forlar, am here for..."

"...revenge, yes, I know." Merlin answered almost boredly.

"REVENGE, on king Uther!"

"Uther's dead."

"You killed him? Who are you anyway?" the evil sorcerer asked him in disbelief. Arthur saw Merlin's face darken. Could he really...

"Urther has been dead for some time now."

"Then I will take my revenge on Arthur!" the sorcerer screamed in the air.

"No." was the only thing Merlin said to the wizard. His eyes flashed golden, and the earth trembled under his command. Arthur couldn't believe his eyes. The magic-user was flung high in the air and came down several kilometres further. Merlin turned around and neared the secret passage. Arthur, there were no other words to describe it, ran. To his room, some comfort to deal with his findings. Merlin was a sorcerer. Merlin was highly dangerous. Merlin might have killed his father. Arthur should have to throw him in jail for that, like the law dictated. But he didn't want to. Merlin also defended Arthur. Maybe the persona he knew as Merlin wasn't an act. He thought for quite a while about this, and stopped when he heard footsteps in the hallway. Merlin opened the door.

"The horses ate ready, Arthur! Are you coming or not?"

Yes, yes, of course he was coming... He stood up and signalled Merlin to follow him. Which he did. But for how long would he keep doing that?

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**Part two: Afternoon**

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They had released the dogs. Barking like madmen, they ran after the rabbit that they had found. The dogs were a bit overkill, but if you wanted to find another lord to hunt with, this was the way to do it. Growling was heard, along with a sound that Arthur knew was the rabbit being torn apart. Merlin winced, and Arthur winced as well. Merlin looked at him strangely. Arthur just sighed. He didn't feel at ease with Merlin anymore. Only tension, and unanswered questions. It tore him apart from inside. He also realized some things. Some good, like Merlin guiding him with a blue light, or the conveniantly falling branches, but also some bad things, like Merlin framing his best friend. He also suspected that Merlin had more to do with the attack of the great Dragon than he let on.

He heard happy barking. His dogs had probably found another lord. He rode his horse in the direction he heard his dogs bark. He found lord Kenneth, a lord that was well-acquainted with his father. He saw Arthur and smiled.

"Well, well, if it isn't Arthur. Did you also decide to take part in the Grand Hunt?"

"Of course. I, as king, can't be missed from this kind of event."

"Of course you can't."

One of the other lasting traditions of the Grand Hunt was that when two hunters met, the hunter higher in standing would invite the other hunter to dinner.

"Would you like to dine with me tonight, lord Kenneth?"

"I _am _ busy..."

"But I insist, lord Kenneth."

"It would be my pleasure, king Arthur."

"Let us hunt then."

Arthur thought lord Kenneth was a bit of a slime, but his loyalty was pure, and he was a good and wise friend. The hunt was enjoyable, but for some reason Arthur didn't get in the flow. His thought wandered to Merlin every five minutes. For some reason, Merlin continued to use magic to help them, which Arthur noticed when they hunted down a boar. The boar tripped over something like a string of woven grass. That had to be magic. But that also didn't fit in the sorcerer-that's-biding-his-time-to-kill-him profile...

They also met lord Dreyas, who joined them, lord Fungus, who joined them too, and lord Jangles, who had to refuse, sadly. Together, the four of them headed back to the castle. They had to prepare for the feast of that evening. But just before they reached it, Merlin excused himself again. Arthur waited a minute and excused himself too. He rode after Merlin, eager to figure out his motives. Merlin halted at a clearing. Then, he began roaring in some strange language. Maybe Ealdor tongue? Arthur couldn't believe his eyes when the great dragon appeared. He flew crippled, like something was wrong with his wing. He landed right before Merlin, and Arthur was sure his eyes would pop out of his head. Was Merlin a dragon lord?

"Hello, young warlock. Is there a reason for calling me here?" If Arthur still had lingering doubts of Merlin being a sorcerer (which would be strange, considering what had happened), they were gone by now. But why 'warlock'? He knew it was some word for magic-user, but he was told it was only used for a select few. Was Merlin not only a sorcerer, but a special one as well?

"I have the growing feeling that I'm being followed. Do you know whether anything happened?"

The eyes of the beast drifted around the place, until they spotted Arthur. A smile grew on his lips, and he winked**.**

"All is as it should be. Is that the only reason?"

"I also wanted to say goodbye. Is there anything..." Merlin looked pained.

"Well... Actually, yes, there is." The dragon signalled Merlin to come closer, which was, no doubt, to keep it secret from Arthur. Merlin nodded and came closer, leaning in to hear what the dragon wanted to tell him. The dragon whispered something in his ear, and Merlin's face brightened visibly. Directly after that it became it became determined, and. Arthur wondered what was going on. Then the dragon lied down, and looked extremely weary.

"Goodbye, Merlin" he smiled. Merlin sat down. He was shaking. He was probably crying, crybaby that he was. Arthur watched as the dragon grew quieter and quieter. After a while, Merlin stood up. He had indeed been crying. His cheeks were red and wet. When Merlin had gone past him, he went to the dragon, to examine it up close. It was dead. The great, mighty dragon had died,from age.

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**Part Three: Evening**

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He, lord Kenneth, lord Dreyas and lord Fungus had just started their feast. The lords had brought a couple of knights and the head servant of their household to eat with them. Arthur remembered he always found it strange that the servant could eat with them, but that was just how it went. He had asked his knights of the round table to be present, and of course the head servant of his household, an elderly man that had been present as long as he knew. He had also asked Merlin. He didn't exactly know if it was the right thing to do, maybe Merlin decided to attack, now that his ally, the great dragon, was dead. But while Merlin was here, Arthur could keep an eye on him. So in the end, he still asked him. Merlin was now talking animatedly talking with Gwaine. Such friendship had to be real, Arthur was sure of it. But there was still a tiny chance it wasn't. He had decided to get to the bottom of it today. He would call Merlin to answer some questions to him when this dinner was over. Arthur greeted and kissed Gwen on the cheek and sat down.

"So nice of you to join us, my liege." Lord Fungus was a sarcastic man, who couldn't resist trying to irritate Arthur on every occasion, but he always made sure to use the right honorifics. Arthur figured he had to keep him away from Gwaine. He wasn't sure he would survive that.

"Well, we're in my castle, so I think it is only common to do so."

"So you really _do_ think, my lord." Was his retort. Arthur gritted his teeth. Someday he would challenge this man in a duel, and give him a nasty scar. But for now he had to keep his cool… just… keep his cool… count to ten… 1… 2… 3…

"My lord! Don't strain yourself! You might get a headache!" Arthur decided to go and talk with Kenneth, before he beheaded Fungus in this very room. So he turned around, hearing Fungus laugh good-naturedly behind him.

"And how do you like the festival so far?" Arthur asked him.

"Splendid, splendid. Lord Dreyas and I were just talking about it. Especially the soup! Marvellous! What's in it?" Damn! It never interested Arthur what was in his food, as long as it wasn't poisonous and tasted well! He could, of course, summon his cooks to answer this question, and raise his display of wealth, but if the display of wealth was too high it would distance him from his people in the eyes of the lords. And if he guessed, and guessed wrong, then he would be the laughingstock of this evening. And the probability to be found out if he guessed wrong was high, because lord Dreyas was a well-known connoisseur.

"It is a vegetable soup with little pieces of rabbit meat and a few spices, prepared in a time span of three days." Merlin was standing behind him, with his usual happy nature showing.

"My, my, you have been preparing, milord! And it came out great! But who is this fine young man?" Arthur had totally forgotten that the three lords had never met Merlin.

"This is my manservant Merlin. He has been serving me well for a few years now."

"He is certainly a good addition, you must be quite happy with him, my liege. Does he have other skills?" Oof. One punch at the stomach. Figuratively, of course. Arthur thought he knew what Merlin was capable of, but he had been hiding his magic up till now. What else had he been hiding?"

"Well, ehm… Merlin is quite capable at talking…" Arthur supposed the teasing was real. Merlin looked at him confusedly. He was probably getting suspicious of Arthur's discoveries. Arthur berated himself and tried to act more normal. "and he is quite good at working with horses…" Merlin had been in the stables so many times now that he would have to know how to do that by now. "he is also quite adapt at swordplay, I taught him that…" Merlin look of confusion grew, but Arthur couldn't see what he was doing wrong… Wait! He was praising Merlin too much! It was out of character, because normally he acted as if Merlin was the worst servant in the world. "And he does some medicine. But all these things were of course taught to him by the best of the best in Camelot, so it's surprising that he isn't more skilled than this." Merlin's look softened and was replaced by a look of annoyance. Arthur relaxed. If Merlin found out Arthur knew, then things could get dangerous.

"Now, now, King Arthur, if you don't want him, I wouldn't mind to buy him from you. For a good price too! And he'll get a good wage!" Lord Kenneth was known for his collection of talents. He bought servants with talent, educated them, and sold them to the original owner for a slightly higher price. If this wasn't Merlin, it would have been an honour. But now, Arthur was desperate. But he hid it well. Merlin, however, did not. He was looking at Arthur and Lord Kenneth in turns in shock. And Arthur, because of his façade of treating Merlin like the worst servant in the world, couldn't say no. That would be strange. So he had to solve this another way… Then he knew how to solve this.

"Let's ask Merlin."

For a second, Merlin looked like the cornered rabbit that Arthur's dogs had killed this afternoon, and an awkward silence followed. You could see the cogs turning in his head.

"I think that will not be necessary, oh lord Kenneth. I quite like it here." So now Arthur knew that Merlin was or extremely loyal, or extremely hell-bent on killing Arthur himself. Arthur shifted uncomfortably.

Lord Kenneth deflated a little. "Seems you've found a loyal servant at that, my king! I envy you a little!"

"It seems I have, lord Kenneth."

"Hey Arthur!" It was Gwaine. Arthur saw lord Fungus' eyes glint with interest. Damn. " Speech!"

"Yeah!" The other knights joined in.

"It seems you have a very healthy friendship with your knights, Arthur." Dreyas commented.

"Thank you, lord Dreyas." Arthur stood up. He didn't really know what to speech about. He could speech about Camlann, but then again, this was supposed to be a happy feast, and a lot of knights, friends, died at Camlann. So he decided he would only mention that briefly. But everyone was looking at him expectantly, so he had to improvise.

"As many of you know, we are sitting here today in honour of the traditions of the Grand Hunt. But we are also sitting here today as friends." Arthur inserted a small pause. Just when he wanted to continue, the lights went out by an ominous gust of wind. On one hand, Arthur rolled his eyes. On the other hand, Arthur was deeply afraid (he would deny it later) of the possibility that Merlin had decided to make his move. A hollow laugh cackled through the room, and Arthur sighed in relief. It wasn't Merlin. He looked behind him to double check, and he was right. Merlin was standing there with an, surprisingly, annoyed look.

"Friends! HA! What would you say if one of those 'friends' was a sorcerer? What would you _think_? What would you _do_…?" this man was clearly insane.

"Hang him!" Lord Dreyas shouted on his right. Lord Dreyas wasn't a tactician, of course, more a fighter, but Arthur hadn't known Dreyas was _this_ stubborn. Lord Kenneth and lord Fungus shared his meaning, and Merlin looked pained. You could almost feel the vibe of "how could he be so stupid" from his knights, but Dreyas' knights and some of Fungus' and Kenneth's knights cheered.

"Ex_act_ly! At least that's what _my_ lord did! He tried to _hang_ me! The pain! So I decided someone had to pay! Congratulations!" he cackled a spell, snapped his fingers, and everyone was suddenly bound in chains.

"Dear, dear, _dear_… uh, what's your name?" The insane man cackled in his face.

"Arthur Pendragon."

"Well, that's a…" suddenly he froze.

"Wait… so this is… Camelot?" Seriously… Was this guy stupid or something?

"Did you miss the signs?" Gwaine shouted. A lot of men sniggered.

"You mean… This is the place protected by… _Emrys_?"

"Huh?" Arthur did honestly don't know. Merlin however, seemed to know exactly what that man was talking about. "Who is Emrys?"

"He's a myth… He's a myth… There's no way he's real… He's not real!" The man exclaimed. "Emrys…" the man spat out the name as if Emrys had killed his cat. "… is a traitor of his kind! An immensely powerful sorcerer that protects Camelot! It is rumoured that his first priority is to protect _you_! But almost nobody knows his face, and everyone that does doesn't tell who he is! But he's not _reeeaaaal_!" He cackled, and kicked Arthur some more. Arthur however, didn't mind. He got it! Merlin was Emrys! There was no other way! He looked at Merlin, who looked back at him. In that tiny moment, Arthur understood. Merlin would never betray Arthur. Merlin was his friend.

"Beat him, with compliments of Camelot." He whispered to Merlin, who was still behind him. Merlin nodded with a mischievous grin on his face, and unbound everyone. Many looked surprised at being unbound suddenly. The insane man was shocked, and was desperately looking around to see who did it. Arthur had to at least give Merlin the credit of hiding his spell well, for it seemed that nobody realised it was Merlin.

"Maybe you're wrong." Arthur deadpanned. The insane man looked around. He had probably seen Merlin, because his face contorted in a desperate look.

"N-no… This… This can't… _This can't be_!" In a desperate wail of rage he released all his magic. Arthur figured it was probably meant for him. But it never reached him. Instead, it was bounced back to the man with a shield, and the man flew, in a great arc, through the window. Arthur summoned a guard.

"Release the hounds."

"Right, milord."

Arthur kept his calm. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He had a problem. It was the same problem he had had all day: follow his father's rules and burn Merlin at the stake, or defend him. But that was easier said than done. His father's rules weren't only ingrained in him, they were also igrained in the kingdom, and they had quite a lot of followers. If he excepted Merlin, he could as well rewrite the rules about magic, and he didn't know if the kingdom would accept it. Finally Arthur came to the decision to wait with deciding until he had heard Merlin's story. Then he would decide. So he kept quiet. But the others? Probably not.

"Apprehend this 'Emrys'!" It was one of the knights of Dreyas. The other knights of Dreyas roared in agreement.

"Let's talk this out nice and easy, before we act." Lord Kenneth was always a peace-maker.

"What is there to talk? There is a sorcerer! In the castle!" Dreyas said with urge.

"But nobody actually saw who it was!" Arthur looked the other way. _He_ had seen it.

"But still! A sorcerer! We must call a witchfinder!"

Oh no, not a witchfinder again! Arthur would not stand for that. Too much trouble. The last one even turned out to be a sorcerer himself. And for money, a witchfinder would accuse anyone as a sorcerer. Even Merlin, Morgana and Gaius… But wait, Merlin was a sorcerer, Morgana was a witch… And Gaius practised sorcery in the past. Oh, Arthur felt like a fool now. But still the man hadn't been pleasant. Besides, he already knew who it was.

"Silence!" He shouted. "I will deal with it when the feast is over. This is my castle, and I will not burden anyone with it."

The lords accepted that. Well, Kenneth and Fungus agreed, and Dreyas accepted it begrudgingly. Luckily so, because he had been told that it was a hobby of Dreyas to hunt down sorcerers. To the extreme.

He looked behind him to see that Merlin had paled a bit. He shoved a note to him, with the words "Tonight, at the front gate."

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**Part four: Night**

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Arthur met up with Merlin at the edge of the woods. He still looked a bit pale, in Arthur's eyes, but otherwise he looked just fine.

"Are you ready for answering some questions?"

"Yes. But why the woods."

"Oh, I thought it a more neutral ground. Besides, if you want to escape…"

"Ah." Merlin looked a bit relieved.

They went in the woods together. Merlin was fiddling with his neckerchief, and Arthur was fiddling with his sword. Arthur noticed that when Merlin noticed Arthur had a sword, he became even more nervous.

"You aren't planning to chop my head of, eh, Arthur?"

"What?" Arthur didn't get it. He was just going to ask questions to Merlin, and didn't get why... Oh, wait. Of course. He apologized and quickly put it away.

"You know, I made that sword."

"You did?" Arthur was now honestly surprised. Merlin was a lot of things, a lazy man servant among others (or so he thought), but he was sure Merlin wasn't a blacksmith.

"Well, not really, but I asked Kilgarrah to enhance the sword with dragon fire. It's destined at your side."

"Oh." Insert awkward silence. Arthur didn't really know what it meant. It was too spiritual for him. He needed more concrete things.

"Did you really kill my father? I thought the old sorcerer did it." Arthur was dying to know. This could influence his choice greatly.

Merlin's smile was pained. "Well, in a way, but I wasn't the cause."

"Explain."

"Well, you know Dragoon the Great?" Arthur frowned. Of course he did.

"That's me, when I take an aging potion." Arthur looked at him with wide eyes. It all made sense to him now. The humor, the attitude, the random disappearances of Merlin paired with the random appearances of the wizard…

"In that form, I can, could use magic more freely because my identity was hidden. So I tried to heal your father, with magic, in that form."

"But he died because of it."

"No, he died because of an amulet of Morgana."

"What did it do." Arthur was curious.

"It reversed the effect. So my healing magic became damaging magic, and killed him. In a way, I am responsible. In a way, I am not." Merlin looked down.

"Sit down." Arthur sat on a fallen tree, near a river.

Merlin sat down.

"Tell me everything."

And Merlin did. Arthur heard some interesting things, like how he had stopped Morgana multiple times, like how he stopped Sigan, Muirden, and many others. How he was the one that freed the great dragon. How he was the one who had offered his life to get Arthur's life back. How the Lancelot that kissed Gwen wasn't really Lancelot. His loyalty was amazing. They sat there for hours, Merlin telling stories, Arthur asking questions. Arthur was shocked to learn that Balinor was Merlin's father. With everything together, Merlin should have been rewarded, not having to hide. On the way back, Arthur had made his choice.

"Merlin."

"Yes?"

"I will ask you to hide it a bit longer."

"What?! But why?"

"Because, if I'm going to change the rules about magic, people won't accept that so easily. There will be multiple sweeps of Camelot for sorcerers, and if you're found out, they will think you are manipulating me. Then everything you have done, will be for nothing."

"I understand."

"And Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"What did the great dragon say to you, this afternoon?"

"You were there?" Merlin had a bewildered look on his face, a look of pure shock.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Merlin, one would think you would be sharper by now after everything you've done to hide your identity. Now spill it."

"He told me that he found another dragon egg, somewhere high in the mountains." Arthur snapped around. This was news.

"This is important. We _will_ talk about it later." Arthur didn't want to talk about it now. Otherwise it would be too much in one night.

They walked on. Arthur still had one question, but it went against all his principles to ask it. But he still did.

"Merlin… Can you… give a demonstration?"

Merlin looked at him. "Really, you want me to demonstrate it?"

Arthur gulped. He had to follow through now. "Yes."

Arthur steadied himself, for earthquakes, fire, lightning, and other things he had seen sorcerers use. But nothing happened. Just a tiny flame. Small, fragile, and beautiful. The power of magic, source of evil ( or so he though until today), could be gentle too. He just stared at the flame, enthralled by it beautifulness, and smiled.

"Thank you, Merlin."

"I never thought _you_ would thank me."

"_Mer_lin! You just ruined the moment."

"Prat." He chuckled, and Arthur chuckled with him. He didn't know where it came from, but it was relieving. In good spirits, they walked back to Camelot.

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**The end! You liked it? Review if you did. Maybe there will be a sequel, but not anytime soon. Bye!**

**No.311**

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_**Updates: Changed Stocks to Stables thanks to Kizmet.**_


	2. Gwaine's Findings

**Soooo… I decided to at least make another one-shot/continuation of Arthur's Findings, because I can't seem to concentrate on any other story than this… Not even my Blue Pirates… I only have too much Merlin plot bunnies in my head. On with the story. In this oneshot, Gwaine finds out. Rule: Only what Gwaine thinks or conversations he hears will be told. Just like Arthur's findings, actually. This happens a week after Arthur's findings.**

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**Part one: Morning**

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Gwaine was having a wonderful dream. After he had saved the Unicorn princess, who shared disturbingly many features with that girl that he saw in the tavern last week, she had proposed another quest to him and given him the key to the Castle Candysteyn. Many people had supposedly failed the quest, but not sir Gwaine, who with his incredible self-restraining abilities managed to conquer the castle made of candy and rescue the Unicorn princess her sister, the Pegasus princess. He had even gained a level, and decided that real men should only choose Strength when distributing their Affinity Points. Then he brought the Pegasus princess home, and she rewarded him the Holy Tankard Of Mead. Supposed to rival the powers of the Holy Grail itself, even. She obviously wanted to say something else, but Gwaine didn't hear her too well.

"…..ne…..up…" Was she shy, perhaps, in the presence of Gwaine?

"Gwaine….up…" She tried to tell him something, so he inched closer.

"GWAINE! WAKE UP!" Gwaine shot up from his sleeping position. He suddenly felt like shit. Maybe he shouldn't have drunk so much yesterday. Man that was an evening to remember! He looked to his right to see Percival standing in his doorway.

"Was that really necessary?" Gwaine asked. He felt the splitting headache. If only he could have enjoyed the Holy Tankard some more…

"Yes, there is an official council meeting today." Oh damn, it was the official one today. Normally, there was a meeting of the Round Table, in which the knights and the King were present, and the council meetings, in which the ruling lords were present. The Round Table meeting consisted of matters concerning strategy, war, safety and the army, and the council meeting consisted of matters concerning economy. But you also had the Official Council Meeting, in which the knights _and_ the ruling lords were present. It concerned highly urgent or important matters.

Gwaine was dressed within seconds. "How come you're so sober? You went with me last night."

"_I_ didn't drink two barrels of ale last night. But, talking about last night, I _did_ hear some things, when we were walking home…"

Gwaine groaned again. Their prank war was still at large, and Percy had just gotten blackmail material… _again_! "We'll talk about that later, now we need to avoid incurring the princess his wrath…"

Percival and Gwaine hurried to the throne room. Everyone else was already seated, so Gwaine and Percival quickly sat down. Gwaine was still annoyed and tired, but his mood improved a bit when he saw lord Fungus being present. That was a man you could laugh with. How had it been possible that they had never met before? He would have won the prank war by far if he and lord Fungus would join hands.

He took his Holy Tankard in the hand, and saw it fill with quality beer, maybe the best of the land. Lucky him. He was bored to death at this meeting. He brought the Tankard to his lips and-

"Gwaine," Percival whispered. "Stay awake." Gwaine looked around. Luckily nobody else noticed. They were all murmuring and talking amongst themselves.

"This is an outrage! Magic has been punished by death since the start of the Purge, and it has rid the land of much crime and battle! It has made Camelot a safer place! How dare you think to change that?!" one of Uther's bootlickers cried out.

"Yes!" One other shouted. "What good will it do? It will take away the threat of death for having magic! Sorcerers and other scum will roam the land once more, free to terrorize villages and what-not again!" A wave of agreeing murmurs spread over the room, But some people, Gwaine saw, didn't share the lord's opinion. Amongst them were some knights and Percival, Merlin, and some lords, including lord Fungus. What did he think about magic? That depended, probably. He had seen a lot of evil sorcerer's, yes, but that didn't have to mean magic was bad. Just like nobility didn't mean that a person was good.

"While I think we should stop killing people just because they have magic, I don't think we shouldn't kill murderers with magic anymore. The crime of murder is something separate, just like threatening villages and other crimes. But I've been to a village where an old woman was burned at the stake because the people blamed her of having started a plague. Without evidence. Magic doesn't kill people, _people_ do. We might even have lost the war against Morgana if it wasn't for that old man who helped us by blasting them with lightning! We have to act against evil sorcerers, but that doesn't have to involve killing people that don't mean any harm, or are at our side, even!" The people on Arthur's side smiled.

"But how will we know that they are really at our side? They could be plotting in secret for years, and suddenly rise to overthrow us! They could control people's minds, dry our water supply, rot our food, and get away with it! For all we know, _you_ are under a spell!" Hushed talking commenced.

"I'm _not_ under a spell! As you know, there aren't any sorcerer's in Camelot! And you don't have to be a sorcerer to do the things you just said. You can control a man with other means than sorcery, like bribery, which is a crime in Camelot under certain circumstances. Our water supply can be poisoned. Our food too. Deliberately poisoning water and food is a grave crime in Camelot. You can rebel against Camelot without being a sorcerer. Magic is in all those situations just a tool." Gwaine was impressed. Arthur had done his homework!

"Although you're right," the opposing lord said begrudgingly, "I still think we have to be sure there are no sorcerer's involved."

"If that makes you feel safe. I call in a vote!" Ah, the vote. Gwaine had almost been afraid that he was here for naught.

"All in favour!" More than half of the hands went up. Arthur's own hand and some others on his side went up too. Gwaine laughed about it inwardly. Arthur was provoking them, daring them to do it, so that, when they would return sorcerer-less, he would be proven right, and they would be ridiculed. Gwaine was already looking forward to that.

"Then it's settled. We will talk about this again when lord Odath's search for sorcerer's in the castle is over." Arthur said.

"But… Who… What…" The lord spluttered. He looked confused. He was probably not the brightest lord out there.

"In your opinion, I was bewitched. So I can't lead the party. You can do it." Arthur said almost like he was bored, as if he was explaining to a child why people eat. Gwaine chuckled on the outside, but inside he was laughing hard. He could see Arthur was having fun too, the look on his face, however subtle, betrayed him. The lord regained his composure, determined to find the sorcerer. And last time he checked, Camelot had none. Except last week, when that madman was flung out the window by this _Emrys_, but he hadn't heard anything about _Emrys_ afterwards, so he must have gone away. Gwaine supposed that sorcerer must have been good at hiding, as nobody had heard much of him before. So they probably wouldn't find him. Arthur left, starting a conversation with Merlin about the events in this meeting. Gwaine went outside as well, suddenly realizing that he hadn't even eaten yet.

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**Part two: Noon**

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"Merlin, mate!" Gwaine called out when he saw his buddy Merlin walking down the same road as him with a package. He started walking faster, until he caught up with him. "Where's the package for?"

"Gaius asked me to deliver it to a friend of his. What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I just finished my patrol when I saw you walking here." Merlin suddenly turned right, and went straight in the woods.

"What's in the package?" Gwaine let his curiosity get the better of him.

"A… book." Merlin's answer was hesitant, Gwaine noticed. But he was curious, so he took another shot.

"What book?"

"I don't know, actually." Something about this answer was off, and Gwaine was sure Merlin _did_ know, and just didn't tell him.

"Such a shame." Gwaine let it be for now, if Merlin wanted to tell him, he would do so. "Are we there yet?"

"No, it's still half an hour away from here."

"Oh, good! I still have a few tavern stories I haven't told you yet!" Merlin grinned, and Gwaine started telling his first story about that lad he met a few days ago in the tavern. It was his first night drinking, he said. He and Gwaine exchanged stories for a while until one of those drunk guys picked a fight with him. But somehow the lad had been able to knock the guy out with only one blow, while the guy was clearly bigger and heavier built. After that story was finished, Merlin started telling a story about some time when he was travelling to Camelot. They talked and laughed about the stupidity of the bandits Merlin met.

After some time Merlin and Gwaine arrived at the house Merlin had to deliver the package to. It was a rather small house, hidden between the trees. Gwaine almost missed it.

"We're here." Merlin said. Gwaine followed Merlin inside the hut.

"Isolated hut, ain't it? How do you know it's the right one?" Gwaine asked him.

"Gaius gave me instructions." Merlin said almost immediately. Gwaine shrugged. He followed Merlin in the hut. The inside was a mess. The collection of skins had been gathering dust, and some of the pots contained stuff that looked so vile and rotten Gwaine didn't even want to know what was in it. There were even some remains of a shattered pot on the floor.

"Merlin, I don't accuse Gaius' instructions, but to me, this hut seems abandoned." Gwaine saw his friend tense a bit. Merlin put the book on the table and hurried him out.

"Gaius' friend will collect the book here. He doesn't actually live in this place." Now Gwaine was curious. Why was that book so important that the recipient wouldn't even make an appearance. Gwaine didn't have proof, but he had ideas. Like a magic book, for instance.

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**Part three: Afternoon**

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Gwaine hated this. He and the other knights had to welcome Odath's party of witchfinders to Camelot. A waste of time, he thought. He could be doing so much other things right now. Like going back to that cottage to find out what kind of book it was. He hadn't done it on the way back because he had too little time to go back and then arrive for this… event… in time. And if he arrived too late, there would be no chance of escaping Arthur without him seeing said book. And if it was a magic book, then there would be trouble. So he didn't. But he wanted to know, so he promised himself to slip away when the opportunity arose. Imagine him meeting a sorcerer! Now _that_ would be an event! Maybe the holy tankard could be more than a dream then! Gwaine drooled at the idea. In his head, of course, otherwise it would be quite nasty. Actually, he suspected it had something to do with Merlin. Say it _was_ a magic book. Why would Merlin deliver it? He said he didn't know what kind of book it was, but Gwaine was now sure he was lying. So Merlin must know the sorcerer in person.

Right then, the party arrived. Lord Odath rode in front. Behind him rode lord Dreyas with a smug smile. Gwaine rolled his eyes. _Of course _he was here. He had wanted to search the castle since the Mad Sorcerer Incident. He heard Percival sigh next to him. He was equally happy as him to be here. After Dreyas rode a fat pig... sorry, a respected man in the art of witch finding with a little overweight. Gwaine snorted. He wouldn't be surprised if the man just came here to eat, appoint some random person as sorcerer, watch him burn, eat some more, take the money, and leave. He whispered his thoughts to Percival next to him, who began to shake from silent chuckling immediately. After that came a wily man with a knowing smile on his face. Gwaine supposed that suspicious-looking person fitted the profile of an evil wizard more than the profile of a 'respected' witch finder. Gwaine supposed he just came here to see people burn. Behind that was another man. He had a long cloak, so Gwaine didn't see much of his features. He looked at Arthur, who was radiating boredness. Luckily the party suspected nothing. Merlin however, was shocked as he looked at the last man. He poked Arthur, and told him something. Arthur nodded, looked at the last man, and nodded again. He told told Merlin something else in turn, and Merlin seemed surprised. Gwaine turned away. If only he could go to the hut now… Or the tavern… Or the market (always good ladies there)… Or anywhere else for that matter…

"Sir Odath! How good to see you have your party ready!" Odath got of his horse.

"I certainly will make good use of this possibility. Let me introduce you lord Dreyas, who I appointed second in command." Dreyas got of his horse too.

"Ah, Dreyas. Nice to see you are here again." Arthur said. His face and posture, sir Gwaine noticed, said something else entirely. Dreyas looked at Arthur with a smug smile on his face.

"I will find this sorcerer that was present last week."

"Dreyas has told me all of the events of last week and this _Emrys_. But do not fear. We will find him, and laugh as he burns at the stake." Gwaine winced. He feared for the poor souls this man would accuse. Merlin and Percival, and a few other knights winced or showed disgusted faces at this too. Arthur, surprisingly, winced slightly, before he composed himself.

"We do not kill for _entertainment_ here, even if it concerns sorcerers. We will only accept accusations if there is enough evidence to support your cause."

"Your father would not have thought that necessary." Dreyas pointed out.

"But I am not my father. What my father would have done is not at hand now." A small silence fell. Arthur took a few seconds to get over Dreyas comment. To others, it would seem like this silence was there to enforce the statement, but Gwaine and the people close to Arthur knew better.

"When will you be able to start your search?" Arthur asked lord Odath, when Arthur had recovered.

"Immediately, if you wish, my lord."

"That's all right with me. I will appoint one of my knights as an overseer to the project. After that, you may start. If you have any sorcerers, you may present them to me in my chambers at sunset. I have a special room prepared for questioning."

"Excellent." Lord Odath said, and he went inside. Gwaine already pitied the poor knight that had to oversee them.

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**Part four: Evening**

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That poor soul was him. For the love of Camelot! Why him! After the welcoming, Arthur had summoned his knights.

Arthur had made it clear that lord Odath and his troupe of witchfinders wanted nothing more than finding a witch. So, to supervise them and make sure they would not trash the rooms beyond repair, or create false evidence, one of the knights had to accompany them. So they would draw straws. Arthur let each of the knights pick a straw, starting with Sir Quyll, and somehow he got the shortest straw. He suspected it was another of Percival's pranks. Now he was stuck with them. And they were eager too, starting right when he arrived. Normal nobles would dine and retire to their chambers in the evening, but not this bunch. Nooooo, they just had to start immediately. They were now doing Gaius' chambers. The fat one was eating while he skimmed through the books, splotches of fat defiling them and a sound of his loud eating filling the rooms. It nearly drove him mad. So he decided to do Merlin's room. If he would find something, he could hide it before the others found it.

It was a mess. Clothes were strewn on the floor, the bed looked slept in, some books were on the floor (one was about the art of polishing, funny enough), the window was open, one drawer was open, with clothes hanging over the edge and such. Gwaine started searching under the bed. Nothing was there. Well, Gwaine supposed, you had to be stupid if you thought hiding anything there would work. Gwaine searched through the clothes on the floor next. There were a few herbs in the pockets, but nothing more. He moved to the drawer and looked for clues. Only clothes. The same could be said of the other two drawers. The nightstand was next. On the nightstand were a few other books about herbs, but in the drawer was nothing. That was strange. Gwaine had suspected to find more books there. But there was nothing. Gwaine thought for a while, but eventually got down to announce there was nothing in that room.

"And who are you to say that? A certified witchfinder? No, no room is cleared without me having searched it first." Lord Odath spoke. The nerve! This was a close second on the list of rudest people he had ever met. On the first place stood a bartender he had met while travelling. He had almost killed the man, was it not for his great self-restraining abilities. On the third place was that Dragoon the Great-person. Gwaine sighed. Merlin had to be prepared for splotches of fat on his clothes and books.

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**Part five: Afternoon, one week later**

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The witchfinder's search was over, and Gwaine couldn't be happier. The last week was the worst week in his life. There was even that time when he had brought some bread with him, which the fat one had confiscated after saying eating while working could be an hindrance. The fat one then proceeded with stuffing half of the bread in his mouth and starting to chew obnoxiously. This morning, they had searched the last room, and questioned the last people. Their search was fruitless, something which lord Dreyas didn't like. The whole progress meeting he had been moaning about this Emrys person, which irritated even the other witchfinders in the room. But after a week of searching, broken pots, splotches of fat and obnoxious chewing, Gwaine's duty was finally over. He would go to the tavern later. Maybe some other knights even wanted to join him today! Arthur had the next Official council meeting, in which he would pass the law that would stop the massacre of innocent magic users, planned for tomorrow. He had given Gwaine an off day, as reward for putting up with the witchfinders! Gwaine was happily walking through the hallway to ask his best friend Merlin to go with him to the tavern, when he remembered the book incident. He still had to go to the hut and see what kind of book it was. So he changed his path, and walked to the stables. A horse would be faster.

After he picked his favourite horse (dubbed Ale), he rode through the gates and went to search for the hut. After half an hour of riding around, three awkward meetings with local farmers to find the way, and one stop by a bar (he had gotten thirsty), he found the hut. It still looked abandoned. He got of his horse and opened the door. Nobody was inside. He could still see the footsteps of him and Merlin in the dust on the ground. Only they were joined by another pair of feet, who went to the table. The book was nowhere to be seen. After Gwaine got over his initial disappointment, he figured that that was only logical. Of course the book wouldn't be here. The recipient must have come already to collect it. Still, it was pretty coincidental that Gaius wanted a book delivered to this outlandish place just when there would be witchfinders. And Gwaine still suspected Merlin to have something to do with it. But for now, suspecting was all that Gwaine was able to do. He went back to his horse, and started his way back to Camelot.

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**Part six: Night**

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Gwaine would end these suspicions once and for all. If Merlin had something to do with it, then there would be one place where he could get answers to this suspicion. In the drawer of Merlin's nightstand, which had been strangely empty when he searched Merlin's room. Thus, while he was drinking some mead in the tavern, he had decided to sneak in Gaius chambers this night. So he had gone to Gaius chambers, where he was now deciding the best route of action. He could go inside, wake Merlin up and ask him. But no, he could also that later. But he wanted to know soooo badly! So he decided to take the quiet way of action. He opened the door slowly, and crept in. Gaius was snoring in his bed. Gwaine was happy that he did, though. Now he could make more noise than when Gaius wouldn't have snored. He sneaked towards the stairs. Suddenly Gaius turned around. Gwaine was completely silent for some time, after which he resumed to sneak towards the stairs. He put his food on the first stair, and a loud creak filled the room. Gwaine cursed silently. He stepped on the other two stairs with care, and opened the door to Merlin's room. Merlin was hanging over his bed, one foot on the nightstand, his hand on the ground. Gwaine had never seen anyone sleep so… strange. He crept to the nightstand, and took Merlin's foot off the nightstand, carefully placing it on the ground. He opened the drawer, and as Gwaine suspected, the book was there. He took the book, to determine if it was really a magic book, and sneaked all the way back to the exit. Gwaine took the book with him to his chambers. Yes, he could have determined it just outside of the chambers, but he wanted to look at it for a bit, and prank Merlin. Merlin would probably have quite a fright when he discovered the book wasn't there in the morning. It was payback for lying to him. He would give it back after the ceremony.

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**Part seven: Afternoon**

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Every important person present in Camelot was sitting at the round table or close by that afternoon. It was the day of a big change: Magic wouldn't be punished by death anymore. Some people Gwaine had spoken to approved of the change, others were reluctant, and others were curious of what would happen. Arthur stood up from his place and started his speech.

"Since Uther's reign, magic has been punished by death. Magic was evil and corrupting, and nothing else than that opinion was to be accepted. Many people have found death in that law, be it because…" Suddenly the doors opened. Merlin came in, distraught and with a bed-head. Gwaine was pleased to see that his prank was successful. Arthur looked at Merlin for a bit and gestured him to sit down. Merlin did so, and Arthur continued his speech.

"…be it because they practised it or because the people around them accused them of doing so. But the magic attacks on Camelot didn't decline, even far from so. A lot of sorcerers joined their cause, commonly for revenge. So why uphold a law which brings Camelot nothing but danger? More than once, we have been attacked, infiltrated, or manipulated by sorcerers while we didn't have the means, the magic to fight it. Good, you say, magic is corrupting. Maybe it is, but isn't power corrupting too? How many villagers could have been saved if the townspeople could use magic against the bands of thieves that invaded their village? Those reasons drive me to abolish the law of killing people who practice magic just because they practice magic. But know, that crimes with magic still will be punished."

The lords and knights on Arthur's side started applauding. They were considerably more in numbers, more than three quarters were clapping. Slowly, but without spirit, the people against Arthur's decision joined in too. Most of them begrudgingly. Geoffrey of Monmouth, the old man from the library, Gwaine remembered faintly, spoke up.

"The law has passed the council. As decreed by the council of Camelot, the using of magic shan't be punished by death from this day forth." Gwaine watched him writing it down in the book of laws and decrees, and giving a sign to the messengers, who would spread the word in the kingdom.

"The meeting is adjourned!" Arthur announced. The people present started to leave, talking amongst themselves. If they were against the decision, Gwaine noticed, they would shoot ugly glances at Arthur, but Arthur himself pretended not to notice. Gwaine left to, seeing Merlin leave in a hurry, and followed him. When he was close enough he called out.

"Hey Merlin! I want to show you something!" Merlin looked over his shoulder to answer.

"Not now, Gwaine, I have something else to do."

"It won't take long, I swear." Merlin came to a standstill and sighed.

"All right." Gwaine led him to his room and took the book out of his drawer. Merlin's eyes were bulging out of his sockets.

"How- What- Where?" Gwaine's laughed a bit.

"So, Merlin. How long have you had magic?"

Merlin composed himself. "Since my birth actually, how long did you know?"

"I suspected you since I went back to the hut after the searches were over, and seeing that the book was gone, because of the trip to the hut and your empty drawer. But I knew it for sure when I sneaked into your room last night."

"You suspected me because of an empty drawer?"

"Have you seen the rest of your room?" Gwaine dead-panned.

"Point taken." They laughed a bit.

"Two questions, Merlin…"

"Yes?"

"When are you going to reveal it to the rest?"

"Soon, probably." Merlin looked unsure. "Arthur says he wants me promoted to court sorcerer."

"Really? I hope you will still go with us on hunts, then. But Merlin, could you enchant a tankard so that it will never run out of ale?"

"I could, but for your safety, the safety of the knights, and because I promised Arthur, I won't." Merlin looked in thought for a little while, but then he spoke up again.

"Say Gwaine, why did you take the book with you instead of placing it back?"

"Let's say it was revenge on you lying to me on the way to the hut. Say, I think we should celebrate this in the tavern. You coming?"

"All right then."

The two of them walked of in the direction of the lower town.

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**Part eight, epilogue: Morning, the following day**

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Gwaine woke up with a gigantic hangover. The night before had been incredible, with Merlin secretly bewitching a tankard of another man to escape his grasp every time the man tried to grab it. He tried to get out of his bed, but the bed was bigger than normal. He looked to the left and the right to see… wings. When he finally got out of his bed, he walked to the mirror and saw that he had changed in a chicken. It seemed that Merlin still wanted revenge for taking his book. The prank war was on.

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**Well. That was it. The end. There may be another chapter, but there may also not be one. Rate and Review, people. Critique is accepted, as long as it can be of use to me. No useless flames like 'it's bad' or something. Tell me at least why. Otherwise I will send Gwaine the Chicken after you. Below here is an extra chapter about who the cloaked man was. Enjoy. It was not told in the story because it didn't have anything to do with Gwaine. Happens in between part four and part five.**

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**Part four and a half, extra: Sunset (Arthur POV)**

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Arthur had not exactly been looking forward to this time. The time where all those witchfinders were allowed to moan about their suspicions about who was a sorcerer and who was not. But surprisingly, there was only one tonight. It was the cloaked man. The cloak was, however, a pointless disguise. Arthur recognised him immediately from when he followed Merlin roughly a week ago, when the man, after being told that Uther was dead, wanted to kill Arthur. Merlin had recognized him too.

"I have come here, to voice my suspicions about a sorcerer in the castle, sire." The man said. Arthur supposed he thought the disguise worked. What an idiot. "I think it's your servant, Merlin."

"Interesting." Arthur said. He had to keep up the pretense, after all. "Merlin!" Merlin appeared from behind the curtain.

"Yes sire."

"This man appoints you as a sorcerer. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"Yes sire. He doesn't have any proof, and he's a sorcerer himself."

"Interesting. Not to forget the fact that I already know you're a sorcerer, and that he wanted to kill me." The cloaked man, also named Forlar, looked shocked.

"What, but… And why do you know and… Dammit! It seems that I just have to kill you now, then!" Arthur stood up, and held Excalibur at the man's throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I would leave when you still can, before I release the hounds."

Forlar gulped once, but tried to start a spell. Arthur pressed the sword a bit harder.

"If you do so, I'll sick Merlin _and _ the hounds on you. I'm going to call the guards now, and escort you to jail, where you will stay until your trail. If you escape, I will start a manhunt and kill you immediately, the punishment of combined attempt at murder and jailbreak. So I would stay, if I were you. Guards!"

Two guards came in. "Throw this man in prison." The guards carried a still sweating Forlar away.

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**End of the extra. Remember: Rate and Review, people.**

**No.311**


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